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Island nations lose hope on climate change compensation

Sarah ClarkeUpdated
Fri 7 Dec 2012, 7:43 AM AEDT

The tiny island of Kiribati says its fate hangs in the balance as the United Nations climate talks in Doha enter their final day. Rich nations are yet to firm up pledges to deliver compensation to poor countries on the front line of climate change. With greenhouse gases increasing at an unprecedented rate, the low-lying nations say they're losing hope.

Transcript

TONY EASTLEY: The tiny island of Kiribati says its fate lies in the balance as the United Nations climate talks in Doha enter their final day.

Rich nations are yet to firm up pledges to deliver billions of dollars to poor countries that are on the front line of dangerous climate change.

Without compensation and with greenhouse gases increasing at an unprecedented rate, the low-lying nations say they're losing hope.

Here's environment reporter Sarah Clarke.

SARAH CLARKE: The tiny pacific nation of Kiribati consists of 32 low-lying coral islands. But as sea levels rise, shorelines erode, and some villages have already been forced to relocate.

Maria Tiimon Chi-Fang is a resident of the tiny island nation.

MARIA TIIMON CHI-FANG: One of the implications as well of climate change is losing our culture, losing our land, losing our rights to ensure our own mother land - so the last of the people in Kiribati are really in danger.

SARAH CLARKE: It's for this reason Kiribati holds a powerful voice at the United Nations climate talks in Doha.

As a country already on the frontline of the worst of climate change, it is issuing a desperate plea for help.

Maria Tiimon Chi-Fang is also a member of the delegation representing the small island nation.

MARIA TIIMON CHI-FANG: Because our people are struggling to survive, right, our young generation is so worried about their future.

For me, to be honest, the world leaders are playing politics. They seem to continue to be (inaudible) with the negotiations while the lives of Kiribati people and those of many other people are at stake.

SARAH CLARKE: After two weeks of heavy negotiating, the UN climate talks are entering their final day.

But there's still deep division between rich and poor over who should pay, how much and by when.

Developed nations have previously pledged $30 billion to help those nations worst affected adapt to the changing climate.

That fund runs out at the end of the year.

As for finance beyond 2012, initially $100 billion was promised. So far the UK is only the only one who's put any money forward.

Rashmi Mistry is from Oxfam and is at the Doha talks.

RASHMI MISTRY: We're not seeing any progress on that. Developing countries are extremely concerned about that because it's really, really difficult for them to firstly adapt to climate change - and many developing countries are seeing the impacts of climate change right now so they need financial resources to be able to adapt.

And they also want to continue developing but along a low carbon pathway. So again they need the financial resources to be able to do that. It's about giving them hope, you know?

This is about investing into a low carbon future but also investing in the ability of people who are suffering and that might suffer even more to be able to adapt to climate change so actually they can have a secure and prosperous livelihood themselves, and they can continue developing. So it's really about giving people hope.

SARAH CLARKE: If more funding commitments are not put forward on the final day, the small island states will be wondering how the UN will be able to take the next step and broker a new climate treaty by the agreed deadline of 2015.